1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power plants in which impelling of water carried within a buoyant vessel by wave motion, through pipes is used to rotate blades to drive electric generators and produce electricity.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of wave motion for generation of electricity has been experimented with by many persons over a long period of time.
The U.S. Patent to Corbett, Jr., et al. No. 3,064,137, illustrates a buoy including a plenum chamber with wave motion causing air to flow therefrom through a standpipe rotating blades and operating a generator.
The U.S. Patent to Masuda, No. 3,200,255, illustrates a buoy that is anchored offshore with an air pipe connected to open air through the vanes of a turbine and to an air pump room. The force of the waves causes the buoy to ride up and down thereby compressing air in the pump room and rotating the turbine blade to drive an electric generator.
These previously available structures use air as an impelling medium which medium is unsatisfactory due to losses in compression and the forces needed to compress the air need to be of large magnitude.
In my prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,893 wave motion causes water to be drawn into a buoyant vessel to drive blades and shafts attached to electrical generators, the water then being discharged back into the sea. While such structure is satisfactory it is desirable to provide a closed system wherein the water is retained within the vessel and reused. None of the available prior art structures contemplates my closed system structure.